Goodbye, Middle Class

Nearly one in two Americans is now living on the lower end of the income scale, according to theCensus Bureau. For a family of four that’s less than $45,000 a year. These are three families who are falling out of the middle class.

One bedroom for a family of five

Previous pay: $110,000Current pay: NoneWhere they live: Staying as guests in a friend’s home

Talia Mobley and her husband Adam have been out of work for more than two years. Adam was a lead technician for Comcast and says, “I had it made.” Taliaworked in customer service.

Collectively, they have sent out 500 resumes but have not gotten one job offer.

Talia went back to school to retrain as a Certified Medical Assistant because she heard health care is where the jobs are. But she still hasn’t been able to find work.

Fifty percent of the unemployed in New Jersey have been out of work for more than six months, and it’s a similar story in Florida, Illinois and Nevada, according to the Brookings Institute.